The main objective of the Joint MA Programme “Education and Human Rights” of the Department of Early Childhood Education of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (UOA) and the University College London Institute of Education (UCL IOE) is the development of theory, research and practice in Education and Human Rights. It consists of:

  1. the Joint MA Program “Education and Human Rights” which awards a Joint degree by both Universities (UOA and UCL)
  2. the Joint MA Program “Education and Human Rights” which awards a Separate degree by the University of Athens with reference to the UCL IOE

The Programme aims at developing specialists and professionals involved in research, teaching and the formulation of educational policies with emphasis on combatting social inequalities and the consolidation of human rights in education.


Educational aims of the programme

The aims of the programme are to contribute in developing social and professional awareness in Education and Human Rights. More specifically, the programme’s aims are to enable participants to:

 

  • engage with theory and research in Education and Human Rights;
  • analyse the key concepts and their intersections in the construction of social hierarchies and their manifestations in public discourses, policies and social practices in Education and Human Rights;
  • understand the interdisciplinary nature of education inquiry with regard to Human Rights issues;
  • recognise the social and cultural diversity of the participants in educational settings;
  • identify and evaluate the theoretical origins and social implications of education policies and practices, in the global and local context;
  • design and conduct research in Education and Human Rights;
  • develop analytic, synthetic and independent cognitive aptitude;

 

Learning Outcomes

The Joint MA in Education and Human Rights is designed to engage students in critical analysis of theories, global processes and contemporary debates on education policies and practices that are of intrinsic importance for Human Rights. Of particular interest are issues related to class, gender, culture, ethnicity and language and their interrelations with access to Human Rights. All modules are engaged in the exploration of the interface between theory and practice. The overall Joint MA’s programme, structured in taught modules and seminars, aims at encouraging students to reflect on past professional or study experience in the light of current theory and research in Education and Human Rights.

By the end of this programme, participants should have developed academic and professional skills in the following areas:

 

  • knowledge and understanding – of important concepts, ideas and research findings in Education and Human Rights;
  • independent critical thinking – the ability to construct arguments and contribute to current debates in Education and Human Rights;
  • reflective practice – the ability to make links between theory and practice in Education and Human Rights and to reflect critically on professional experience in the light of theory;
  • professional competence – the ability to act independently and evaluate the performance of specific interventions in professional contexts; the ability to elaborate innovative and transformative practices towards enhancement of Human Rights;
  • research skills – the ability to identify and use appropriate methods for gathering, analysing and evaluating information, including competence in designing small-scale research; the ability to identify new research questions in education and social inquiry;
  • academic literacy – the ability to communicate arguments and information, in speech and writing, according to the established conventions of scholarship in the fields of Education and Human Rights.